User blog:KontonMan/Naruto Fanon Interviews!
Yo, yo, yo! It's Kon here, and today, I have a gift. Over on Discord, I have been interviewing the more experienced users of the Naruto Fanon to provide some insight on how they view things on NF. I asked seven basic questions, and they answered them beautifully. Cheers to those who let me interview them. The Seven Questions * 1: Why did you originally join the Naruto Fanon? * 2: What was the first page you ever made on the Fanon? * 3: What have you learned from the Naruto Fanon? * 4: Which one of your pages do you believe to be your best work? * 5: When you first joined, what did you think of the community on the Naruto Fanon? * 6: What are the issues you’ve found with the Naruto Fanon during your time on the wiki? * 7: What is your advice for new users? Interviews The answers are answered in order of the questions. Kami * 1: My brother convinced me to join we were really young. I left for about two and half years and returned with new inspiration. * 2: Well I had several account before KamiGuru which had characters, but I don't count those so: Yami Yuniku. * 3: I have new found respect for writting and fanfiction in general. I've become a better writter (still shit but better), and I discovered the truths of plagirism. * 4: Shenron Uzumaki would probably be my best work, but since he's currently under remodelling I'll say Jushiro Kurama. * 5: It's way different that it is now. Some people were nicer than others, but fortunately someone helped out and supported me. * 6: Failures to maintain a stable FC or fanon project in general. Lack of rule enforcement and character development. In terms of rp, too much focus on winning rather than story development, (I am a victim of this) * 7: Don't try to make god tier characters as your first few characters. That can come later. Start off with jonin level shinobi if you are first starting off in fanon.This will allow you to utilize powerful techniques and not be too limited on by starting off as a genin or academy student. But it also allows you to avoid using overused, spameed techniques that make you s-rank, kage level, or beyond. Try to make a character about the same strength as Asuma Kurenai, or Zabuza to work on some ideas, and understand how the wikia works. Then if you really want too, make your unique op characters. ALSO, don't be afriad to ask verteran users for help with ideas and concepts. Most of the time, we'll help you out. Hell, that's how it started here. Erin * 1: I joined NF cause I saw it and I was like "Oh wow I love naruto and wanna make naruto characters." * 2: Ryūza. * 3: To be completely honest It really helped my writing out. I honestly saw real improvement. * 4: Hougou for sure. My pride and joy of this site. * 5: I really liked everyone, Con especially. He's the reason I'm not Uchiha creating filth or something. He taught me how you're supposed to characters and sent me down the right path. * 6: Well first off most new users don't know about limiting powers or genrally making quality characters. Sorry to be so blunt but most of what I see isn't great. I particualrly dislike givign characters tons of shit just for the sake of doing it to be the strongest big boy around or whatever. I honestly hate dojutsu users too just cause it seems so needless. Most dojutsu nowadays are "OH IT'S THE RINNEGAN SHARINGAN TESNSEIGAN BYAKUGAN WHATEVER NO JUTSU" Like who thinks that's a good idea? If you area reading this and you do that, stop it and get some help. Another thing, I hate all the damn uchihas, mainly cause they just get jam packed with the most filthy amount of powers ever. I think one had like 400 jutsu or some shit. You can make people from non canon clans, people know this right? One other thing that bugs me sometimes is complete negation/lack of weakness. I mean sure your character can be powerful but they should have some form of weakness. I think the use of those chakra abdorbtion/negation techs are so stupid cause they elimainate all fun. Like just absorb everything to win with literlally no reprocussions because whatever. I could continue but then this would just be a rant so I'll stop for now. * 7: For a new user here's my advice. Make something normal. Try making a jonin from a clan you make up with somethign reasonable as their hiden or honestly don't give them one. Work on a story and think about how what powers actually fit. In terms of Yin and Yang I'd use them to just to genjutsu or healing. Also when you have a few decent characters created and move on to a powerful one, think. Does Jimmy Genjutsu actually need a rinnegan for any reason other than you want him to be the biggest strgonest boy at the playgound? One more thing don't argue with the damn admins, hunters, or chat mods. What they say goes in their respective fields because they actually earned that place and know what they are doing. If you have an english or non japanese name, stop it. I wanted Ryūza to be named Erin but it isn't japanese. So I sucked it up because I'm a functioning human. Otherwise have fun and try to generally be pleasant, people here will help you out if you're nice to them and treat them with respect. Ash * 1: I originally joined Naruto Fanon because I was a young fan of Naruto who desperately wanted to be a part of the Narutoverse. * 2: Currently deleted, however, he was a young Chuunin by the name of Natsu Yuugure. He was a Sunagakure Ninja and a Magnet Release user. * 3: I have learned how to appreciate attention to detail with regards to both character pages and roleplaying. I have learned how to pioneer my own spin on classic canon abilities and realized a character is never really "their own" until you have written your own techniques for them or modified their use of existing ones. * 4: The page I believe to be my best work is Samiya. Even if she has not been completed or written perfectly, the consistency with which I have worked on her probably makes her my favorite character. * 5: I believed people were reliant on Uchiha, but they were creative and some ideas were very inspiring. * 6: Issues I have found on the Naruto Fanon are the over-reliance of techniques as a form of power, the way people attempt to make their characters overly dark and mature for the Narutoverse and consistent intervention in canon to achieve a deviantart-esque OC. * 7: My primary advice for any new user is to start small and simple. Truly powerful characters can only be made when you've gained experience and learned how to write in a way that conveys the power you're trying to apply to your character. There is nothing wrong with wanting strong characters, but you must first learn how to write and roleplay as a character before you can reach that point. Solo * 1: I joined back in 2010 mainly because I had a mad Naruto craze, and I wanted to write stories that took place in that world. Sort of be actively a part of such a brilliant world, I reckon. * 2: The first page I ever made was a twin of Naruto Uzumaki (which as expected as shot down and destroyed, together with a lot of personal insults). * 3: I've learned a lot to be honest. Aside from simply becoming a much more fluid and able writer than before, I learned how to craft tales, weave characters and create my own small projects while relying on the help of others both in terms of feedback and manpower. * 4: I believe my best work is Densetsu. Though personally I find it tough to choose between Densetsu and my other pride and joy Kenta Kanata, I put in a lot into Densetsu. I used numerous story arcs to add layers to his characterisation and personality, and I tried my best to include as much growth as possible into his story while trying to the best of my abilities to keep him as human as possible. So yeah, there are still flaws with the page, but I think it's my best so far. * 5: Back in 2010, I'm not gonna mince my words, I hated the community. To me, it always seemed they were too harsh, and vicious when mistakes were made. When I returned in 2014 though, I'd say things were great. The community seemed more intent on building people up to a certain level instead of completely booting them out. A lot of users have grown as a result of that helpfulness, myself included, many of my friends here included. * 6: A problem that I find to be quite troubling is the lack of initiative overall on the site. It's what has killed so many Projects and it's what that's keeping us from introducing more ideas that can better the site. Too many things end at the spur of the moment, with nobody else showing visible interest later on. I mean yeah, we're all (mostly) grown ups with real lives to lead outside NF, but a little more initiative sometimes couldn't hurt. * 7: When you're new, there's only one thing you've gotta rely on extensively, for at least 3-4 months. You've gotta kill your ego and accept criticism humbly, and you've gotta be open minded. Keep this in mind and you'll find yourself growing at an accelerated place. Take offence, and you'll find yourself in conflict with others, and you'll probably hit something head on (like a ban). Learn and learn and learn, and don't be satisfied with second best, or to be 'among the best'. You've gotta see everyone as you as challengers to overcome, and you've gotta seek to be the best writer/roleplayer on the site. Set goals like that, stay humble, and you'll go far. The World Teacher * 1: I originally joined Naruto Fanon wiki because not was I a fan of the anime series, I was also into formal and expressive writing. So I figured, what better way to toss my ideas out there and get feedback from fellow authors on an online setting. * 2: My first page was Gaoh Minazuki back in '09 * 3: I have actually learned quite a lot from the wiki. The first thing was writing in the active and passive voice. Normally, I would use the former and later for university papers or personal writing but using them in a Role-Play was a unique experience. Learning to properly choreograph role-plays and plan for future events was the most memorable aspect of joining the site. * 4: Out of all of my pages, I believe that Hojo Senryo is one that I put the most time into which was mainly due to learning and reading more into the art of kenjutsu. * 5: When I first joined back in 2009, the first thing I realized was the number of different sects. Some users would only stick to a group consisting of a few individuals. The Role-plays then were written in a different style due to the age of the majority of users (relatively young) and writing experience of most users (including myself) was still in a budding stage. However, seeing the development of writing skills from various users over the years was a delight. * 6: One of the primary issues that I've found with the site the inability for writers to break free of their comfort zone. Even though it is not necessarily an issue with the site itself, I have seen the same ideas rehashed and reused over and over. Let ideas marinate and then express them. Another issue is favoritism and disagreements. The internet is a dwelling that allows indivuals the ability to openly express themselves anonymously (for the most part). I have seen it time and time again to where disagreements would get so heated that a user would get temporarily blocked or even banned. Appealing to everyone is not an art form that most would take time to master, let each author express themselves in a way that they would like. * 7: I always have advice! At its heart, writing is a way to deliver messages yet this communication is not always between two people. It is an expression of the soul, messages from your heart t your head. Feel the passion of writing. How do you want to be remembered as a writer here on this site, what kind of legacy would you like to leave behind? Even though it's a dying skill, writing provides eloquence in speech and even provides discipline during debates. As the generation with the most technology, let's treat the written word the way it was meant to be treated. Ded * 1: I originally joined Naruto Fanon because I had just gotten back into the series after a few years (a return to anime in general really) and when I was young me and friends made our own characters and I expanded on that after returning to the series. By chance I found Naruto Fanon while looking at other works of fanfiction. I discovered I could join for free and thought it would be fun. That was back in September of 2014. Since then I've spent a lot of time on NF and even looked at other wikis. Shon and I even attempted to start a Fullmetal Alchemist Fanon wiki (unfortunate that college prevents us from really making much of it). NF was just fun writing and it got me writing on a regular basis, which is great practice. * 2: The first page I ever made was Hado Iwa's page. He was the character I made back in elementary school. I plan to revise him though. Like, changing that whole first generation of characters around. * 3: NF has just been great practice for me. I didn't write nearly as often before joining NF. Since it is Naruto, and action is a key aspect, I've learned a lot about writing fast paced scenes. Pros and cons of writing with others was another thing I learned. * 4: Best work. Hmm. I very much like the more recent genration of characters I've created. The Unmei Clan and Sage Owl Kodai. They are interesting characters and, unlike Akira and Michi, they stand up well outside the project they were originally meant for. * 5: When I first joined the wiki I was hoenstly mixed on the community. Serk was pretty nice to me, as was Dazz. Sig was an ass and the first person I RPed with was kind of a moron with no writing ability. Cam was one of the first people I started writing with regularly and I enjoyed the experience. There will always be those users you don't get along with, but there are enough positive aspects to the community that I've stuck around all this time. * 6: The main issue is that people try to be competative for no reason. There is no RPG system on this wiki, so the competative bullshit just leads to unjustifiably powerful characters and poorly paced RPs. * 7: For new users, I'd say realize that Naruto Fanon isn't about writing the "strongest" character, rather the most interesting character. It's about story telling and creating your own piece of this universe we all hold so dear. Ben * 1: I originally joined to have fun writing and meet like-minded people. * 2: The first page was Yoshitsune Uchiha. * 3: In general more concrete story telling and just talking to people better. * 4: Yoshitsune. * 5: I thought the community was pre.tty cool, some harder to work with than others but it's whatever. * 6: People trying to put concepts far to foreign to Naruto into Naruto and it just ends up being awful. * 7: Try to write in terms of how Kishimoto would but don't forget your own style and interests. Final Words So there you have it! I would've interviewed more people, but either they weren't active, or didn't respond. Anyway, I hope this inspires any new users that wanna join the Naruto Fanon. Take it from these guys, you'll start off rough, but if you take their advice to heart, you will blossom into the wonderous world of the Naruto Fanon! Category:Blog posts